Blue Lagoon

profit up 89%

FIJI’S Blue Lagoon Cruises has announced a substantial after tax profit as the country’s tourism in dustry nears the record business it ex perienced before the coups of 1987. The company’s after tax profit was F$ 1,463,519 and the before tax profit of F$ 1,608,698 was an increase of 89 per cent on the financial year 1987-88, the period most affected by the tourism de cline after the coups.

Blue Lagoon chairman David Wilson said new vessels would be built to main tain present cruise capacity and provide for future growth, and recent reorga nisation of management responsibilities had shown positive results.

However he was critical of any moves which could discourage further invest ment in Fiji tourism, in particular airline capacity and schedules. Tourism was not an industry which could be taken for granted, he said. If it was to continue to grow and attract new investment it was crucial those investors were assured of adequate and reliable airline capacity, convenient schedules and competitive air fares supporting such growth, particular ly from Australia.

Recently announced Air Pacific and Qantas northern winter schedules, in which the majority of Sydney flights ar rived in Fiji late evening, returning early morning, effectively reducing a one week holiday to five days was not an example of the support needed, Wilson said. “This decision is little short of com mercial arrogance in a market that pro duces about 50 per cent of all Fiji visitor arrivals,” he said. E